Maine gamer wins election despite anti-Warcraft attacks

No word on whether she plans to establish an Orcish Caucus in the legislature.

Sen.-elect Colleen Lachowicz posted this photo of her celebrating her victory to her campaign's Facebook page.

Colleen Lachowicz

The Maine Republican Party came up with a creative way to attack Democratic State Senate Candidate Colleen Lachowicz. They sent out a mailer savaging her for her scary-looking World of Warcraft character, and for online comments touting the violent acts that character committed.

"I love poisoning and stabbing! It is fun," the flyer quoted Lachowicz as saying. The GOP operatives who put together the flyer evidently didn't appreciate the difference between fantasy and reality. Or perhaps they hoped Maine voters wouldn't know the difference.

But while the flyer was creative, Techdirt notes it wasn't very effective. Lachowicz has defeated Thomas Martin, the Republican incumbent, to represent Maine's 25th Senate district. She received 52.8 percent of the votes in her district, about 900 votes more than her opponent.

The Bangor Daily Newsreports the attacks on Lachowicz's gaming generated an outpouring of support from around the world. Supporters raised $6300 to promote her candidacy. Because Lachowicz accepted public funds under Maine's "clean elections" law, she wasn't legally permitted to accept the money herself. So the money was donated to an independent Political Action Committee.

Opponents argued this violated Maine elections law. But the Maine Ethics Commission cleared her of wrongdoing on November 1. By a 5-0 vote, they ruled that because she didn't coordinate her campaign with the activities of the PAC supporting her, she was in the clear.

...Being a gamer does not make a person lazy or violent or unreliable. But all too often that's the kind of social disparaging that gamers have to put up with.

All too true. Someone in the public eye who also happens to be a sports fan is usually celebrated and only occasionally mocked for being a fan of the 'wrong' team. Yet gamers, who actually participate rather than just watch, are treated as pariahs.

I don't believe we will ever get to the point where the best online gamers are treated with the same respect as chess grandmasters, but ordinary gamers deserve at least the same respect as someone who plays golf, goes fishing or watches a baseball game. Of course that won't happen while it's deemed okay to dismiss gaming as the retreat of lazy antisocial basement dwellers.

Why is it that gaming is antisocial, but watching a TV for 5 hours a night is normal and acceptable behaviour?

That's okay as long as you're watching Fox News!

The Republicans were even more out of touch than usual here. An entire generation of humanity has grown up playing video games. This is why the Democrats absolutely own all the important demographics of young people.

The slander bent to this reminds me of a Daily Show episode I saw last week, where John Olliver and <That other guy whose name I don't know> were at a school coordinating candidates for the student elections.

Had a campaign consultant interviewed as part of it who said that slander and cash are sure ways to win an election.

Whenever I see an attack ad, I always wonder why they're not focusing on issues instead, and the answer is usually because that's where the attackers are weak.

Sounds like they basically did her advertising for her.

I dunno if having a 68 rogue necessarily makes her a gamer tho.

Actually her rogue was at the old pre-MoP cap of 85. Though not really highly geared she was geared enough. You just read an old quote from the smear campaign from when her rogue was 68th. It's ok, we all look the Amadan at times. Yes, I know what Amadan means.

...Being a gamer does not make a person lazy or violent or unreliable. But all too often that's the kind of social disparaging that gamers have to put up with.

Unfortunately, there's a reason for the stereotype! That's because it's sometimes TRUE!

I quit one job, eight years ago, because the manager was giving equal pay and greater privileges (including, the power to arbitrate my code updates) to a co-worker who was doing about 1/8 the work I was doing (no exaggeration) because he was:

Spending all night, every night, playing "2nd Life", Warcraft etc.

Drifting in to work (when he showed up at all) at around 11am,

Pretending to type on his computer keyboard, before falling asleep on his desk in his cubicle after about 45 minutes, (I used to have photographs of this, but eventually deleted them);

Leaving work around 3pm "on sick".

The boss just wouldn't listen to reason. He just continued allowing that guy to stab me in the back during team project meetings, criticising my work without any real clue what I was even doing, so as to justify his near-exclusive possession of the server passwords (one of his few pieces of practical leverage for retaining that job).Being made equal with a back-stabbing sloth wasn't the only reason why I quit that place (the boss was completely insane) but it was the straw that broke the camel's back, as it were. The gamer guy taught me about some useful computer tech, but he was so much into his gaming that life itself became a game for him! As long as he got his points or L$ in his bank account at the end of the week, he just didn't care!

You listen to Matthew Slyman's tale. He seems restless and slightly agitated. You have four options...

Reply "Cool story Bro"

Reply "One swallow doesn't make a summer"

Sap him and attempt to pick his pockets

Point and yell "Look, a three headed monkey!", then make your escape while he's distracted"

Though in all seriousness addiction in whatever form it takes, games, alcohol, online social networks, sports or sex, is obviously not a good thing. However extreme addiction and the conduct of addicts should not be considered the defining characteristic for everyone else who can sensibly enjoy a legal activity.

...Being a gamer does not make a person lazy or violent or unreliable. But all too often that's the kind of social disparaging that gamers have to put up with.

Unfortunately, there's a reason for the stereotype! That's because it's sometimes TRUE!

I quit one job, eight years ago, because the manager was giving equal pay and greater privileges (including, the power to arbitrate my code updates) to a co-worker who was doing about 1/8 the work I was doing (no exaggeration) because he was:

Spending all night, every night, playing "2nd Life", Warcraft etc.

Drifting in to work (when he showed up at all) at around 11am,

Pretending to type on his computer keyboard, before falling asleep on his desk in his cubicle after about 45 minutes, (I used to have photographs of this, but eventually deleted them);

Leaving work around 3pm "on sick".

The boss just wouldn't listen to reason. He just continued allowing that guy to stab me in the back during team project meetings, criticising my work without any real clue what I was even doing, so as to justify his near-exclusive possession of the server passwords (one of his few pieces of practical leverage for retaining that job).Being made equal with a back-stabbing sloth wasn't the only reason why I quit that place (the boss was completely insane) but it was the straw that broke the camel's back, as it were. The gamer guy taught me about some useful computer tech, but he was so much into his gaming that life itself became a game for him! As long as he got his points or L$ in his bank account at the end of the week, he just didn't care!

But to be fair I work with people like that and they don't even play games!!!

Why is it that gaming is antisocial, but watching a TV for 5 hours a night is normal and acceptable behaviour?

Personally, I don't do that either (we don't even have a TV, and we hardly watch any movies). I'm on Ars Technica instead!!! Perhaps I must watch that I don't get addicted to that... (Human beings are generally predisposed to forming habits; it's just that some habits/addictions are more harmful or beneficial than others!)

AbsoluteChaos92 wrote:

Silliness like this will end when games are respected as well as movies and books.

I recently bought an Amazon Kindle Paperwhite and started reading more classical literature and management science (you can download tons of that stuff free, as these works are out of copyright and maintained by enthusiasts, and some modern factual works are priced promotionally e.g. to raise the author's profile). I've been amazed at how stimulating and refreshing this has been... Almost like when I sit down at a piano and start trying to play some Mozart! It's a totally different experience to playing computer games (most games can be played on mental "autopilot" with half of your brain switched off). There's a real difference here...

Any fMRI technicians among us, to refute or corroborate my anecdotal experience?

I'm only a level 10 something-or-other on WoW because the free trial got so dull that I couldn't see any reason to spend money on it, but I'm most definitely a gamer in solo RPG's and shooters, so your level on WoW is hardly definitive

It's good to see that what was an incredibly juvenile attack against her didn't prevent her from being elected, but it doesn't really give us the full picture of whether or not it actually affected the number of votes she received in end, as there are likely plenty of people that didn't really understand what they were reading; though hopefully they just dismissed it as the weak effort of a weak candidate that it was.

there is yet hope for humanity. It seems like the Majority of citizens CAN tell the difference between fantasy and reality after all. Despite how much political party X would love to lead them on like ignorant sheep.

...Being a gamer does not make a person lazy or violent or unreliable. But all too often that's the kind of social disparaging that gamers have to put up with.

Unfortunately, there's a reason for the stereotype! That's because it's sometimes TRUE!

I quit one job, eight years ago, because the manager was giving equal pay and greater privileges (including, the power to arbitrate my code updates) to a co-worker who was doing about 1/8 the work I was doing (no exaggeration) because he was:

Spending all night, every night, playing "2nd Life", Warcraft etc.

Drifting in to work (when he showed up at all) at around 11am,

Pretending to type on his computer keyboard, before falling asleep on his desk in his cubicle after about 45 minutes, (I used to have photographs of this, but eventually deleted them);

Leaving work around 3pm "on sick".

The boss just wouldn't listen to reason. He just continued allowing that guy to stab me in the back during team project meetings, criticising my work without any real clue what I was even doing, so as to justify his near-exclusive possession of the server passwords (one of his few pieces of practical leverage for retaining that job). My manager was using the false criticisms as an excuse not to give me my agreed wages & benefits!Being made equal with a back-stabbing sloth wasn't the only reason why I quit that place (the boss was completely insane) but it was the straw that broke the camel's back, as it were. The gamer guy taught me about some useful computer tech, but he was so much into his gaming that life itself became a game for him! As long as he got his points or L$ in his bank account at the end of the week, he just didn't care!

That has nothing to do with video games and all about to do with character.You colleague lacked character and principals and probably was buds with your manager.

I've seen similar situations that had nothing to do with video games. Next you're telling me that violent video games make violent people cause its not all that different from what you are implying the the last paragraph.

In that situations leaving and finding something better is the best option but sometimes is not an option...

The Republicans were even more out of touch than usual here. An entire generation of humanity has grown up playing video games. This is why the Democrats absolutely own all the important demographics of young people.

Funny thing I can agree with some of what the Republicans are saying and the Democrats aren't innocent on all counts necessarily but things like this and the presidential elections really make me wonder what planet they're actually living on.

I mean Mittens called 47% of the country freeloaders in a world where everything ends up on the internet and every phone (or enough of them) are able to do the recording. That right there just said to me that beyond being a jerk, he obviously doesn't understand the modern world so well. What would have been funnier would have been if it hit the news before he returned to his mansion for the night.

If they can at least appear to understand the amazing cutting edge technology of the past several decades they'll probably be better off though.

The Republicans were even more out of touch than usual here. An entire generation of humanity has grown up playing video games. This is why the Democrats absolutely own all the important demographics of young people.

Funny thing I can agree with some of what the Republicans are saying and the Democrats aren't innocent on all counts necessarily but things like this and the presidential elections really make me wonder what planet they're actually living on.

I mean Mittens called 47% of the country freeloaders in a world where everything ends up on the internet and every phone (or enough of them) are able to do the recording. That right there just said to me that beyond being a jerk, he obviously doesn't understand the modern world so well. What would have been funnier would have been if it hit the news before he returned to his mansion for the night.

If they can at least appear to understand the amazing cutting edge technology of the past several decades they'll probably be better off though.

It's kind of like having stupid criminals on our streets, because stupid criminals make for easier police work. Stupid politicians make it easier for us to determine where our votes should go.

He he he... Republicans took an arrow in the knee:) Seriously however, when will Republicans realize they're dinosaurs and just need to go? They're getting awfully desperate. Their corporate overlords must not be very pleased,

That has nothing to do with video games and all about to do with character.You colleague lacked character and principals and probably was buds with your manager.I've seen similar situations that had nothing to do with video games.

You're right. If this fellow had been born in any other age, he probably would have been an alcoholic — he would have been binge-ing on something other than computer games instead (in the same way that not everyone becomes an alcoholic, not everyone becomes a gaming addict; although as pointed out by darkspark88, some games are purposely designed to be addictive!) No, my colleague was not particularly buddies with the manager (the manager had other motives for not rocking the boat by getting rid of him).

I've learned some useful things from some computer games. The graphics & simulation technology can stimulate the powers of imagination. There are some commercially important ideas that might not have occurred to me if I had never played any computer games or experimented with developing my own. Here's an interesting article about how virtual reality can be used to alleviate real physical pain:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20239836We can think of countless lives that have been saved through the rigorous training of airline pilots on flight simulators. There are games I would recommend to anyone, like this scientifically designed vocabulary-learning program:http://www.byki.com/On the other hand, there are many games that are totally pointless, that waste the time of gamers, adding nothing to our productivity or quality-of-life (instead, trapping people's minds and hearts inside a pointless & addictive illusion, and straining real-world relationships). Personally, I can think of many better things to do with my time and money.

scar_as_coot wrote:

...Next you're telling me that violent video games make violent people cause its not all that different from what you are implying the the last paragraph.

I never suggested that! I wouldn't have had any solid evidence for such a proposition, if I had suggested that. But to anyone who asserts that doing something in a virtual world does nothing whatsoever to change the way we think or behave in the real world; I would ask, where is your evidence?

scar_as_coot wrote:

In that situations leaving and finding something better is the best option but sometimes is not an option...

Sometimes, you just have to do it for the sake of your sanity! Fortunately for me, my old manager had persuaded me (when taking me on) to register myself as "self employed"; which provided me with an transition out of the office door as an official outside consultant! I haven't looked back since then!

Timothy B. Lee / Timothy covers tech policy for Ars, with a particular focus on patent and copyright law, privacy, free speech, and open government. His writing has appeared in Slate, Reason, Wired, and the New York Times.